Peter M. Hoffman

A new book that delves into the unexpected properties of life at the nanoscale was released this week by Basic Books. “Life’s Ratchet: How Molecular Machines Extract Order from Chaos,” by Peter M. Hoffmann, professor of physics and materials science and associate dean in Wayne State University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, uses the principles of physics — the science of levers and pulleys, atoms and quarks — to explain life.